Zero Tolerance 0450CF; Folding Knife with 3.25” DLC-Coated S35VN Stainless Steel Blade, All-Black Carbon Fiber and Titanium Handle Scales, KVT Ball-Bearing Opening, Frame Lock, Pocketclip; 2.45 OZ.

With a plethora of Benchmade knives in my collection; I went out on a limb. ZT? What is ZT? I have Zero Tolerance for an expensive EDC or any high quality blade that falls short of being high quality in aesthetics, form and function. After reading many reviews on the ZT 0450CF and having never seen a ZT outside of a glass case let alone having never handled one I went ahead and purchased my first ZT sight unseen. A blind date that's turning awfully fast into an exquisite love affair with my new EDC. While many have referred to this knife as being too small; I have to say it's on the smaller side but definitely not too small. I'm 6'1 and have reasonably large hands. This knife is constructed of carbon fiber on one side, titanium on the other, steel on the friction point of the locker and a blade made of S35VN steel which is honed razor sharp right out of the box. It's priced slightly less than a comparable benchmade if there was such a match and I think it's an awesome lightweight purposeful everyday carry that's easy to open with action that nearly feels like it's equipped with auto assist (it's not). It can easily be opened and closed with one hand. If you're like me and have become accustomed to the Benchmade axis lock and thumb bump opener then you will have a short adaptation period but will find that opening this knife with your pointer finger is easy and the opening action is like I said strong fast and locks right in place. As far as closing it, well that takes a little more getting used to and was nearly a turn off until I opened my mind to something more of a Spyderco lock system. You get used to it and find that the look feel and quality of this mighty little carrier all far outweigh any hesitation or resistance to change that you may have. Love this knife and I'm pleased to have it in the collection. Disclaimer: I do not have any affiliation with ZT, Benchmade or any other knife company. I'm just a happy new owner sharing my thoughts!

Very sleek, beautiful knife & a fantastic EDC. (Thoughts comparing the ZT0450CF to the Kershaw Leek CF) I had originally bought a carbon fiber Kershaw Leek and was pretty satisfied by it, however there were a couple of things that left me wanting more after using it. One: the style of the Leek was attractive, but not quite as appealing or eye-catching as I was hoping for. The quality of the Leek is not in question, it is a very good knife overall, but I wanted something that would ultimately be my Every Day Carry. Two: the action (both opening and closing) was not to my satisfaction. The Leek is an assisted open, which I found to be a little bit too jolting. The torsion bar used for the assisted opening system also provided an additional drawback to the closing/folding of the blade, which left me wanting. Closing the knife is doable with one hand, but I prefer a much easier one-handed close. So those two things in mind, I decided to look into the ZT line up and to try out the 0450CF. I ordered it and once I received it, within a day of using the ZT0450CF, I knew I had a replacement EDC. So first off the build quality, pretty equal to the Kershaw Leek, except for the blade is a more premium steel, S34VN (ZT) vs CPM154 (Kershaw). This is a relatively minor thing anyway, both are good and for EDC's you can't go wrong with even the Leek. I prefer the black DLC coating of the 0450CF, but that's a matter of simple preference. Looking at the alignment, the blade closes and is perfectly centered in the handle, as well. Next is the opening system. Despite being a manual open, the 0450 is buttery smooth at opening. Really, it's as easy as the assisted open system with the Leek. The benefit to me though, is not having that spring-loaded thrust. The 0450 opens easily from any angle with the push of the flipper tab. And it's this easy to open right out of the box. Then when closing the 0450, that is where it really sold me. Right out of the box, I was able to press the frame lock with my thumb, begin closing the blade with my index finger, move my thumb out of the way and nudge the blade a little more with my index finger and it would close the rest of the way on its own. Super, super smooth, super fast, and easy one-handed close. The Leek would require my index finger and then sometimes my thumb to finish guiding the blade all the way to the closed position due to the torsion bar's tension. I also really like the green standoffs of the 0450CF. It gives just enough splash of color accent to the dark, stealthy knife. There are a couple things that I do like about the Leek slightly more than the 0450. The first one is the lock-type. I like the liner lock of the Leek as opposed to the frame lock with the 0450, but that's simply a preference and only really affects the outward appearance of the knife itself. The second is the flipper tab. I think the flipper tab on the ZT0450 is a little too aggressive-looking. I think a slightly smaller tab could have sufficed. I also like that the pocket clip is able to be flipped from the blade tip down (stock) to a tip up orientation. I prefer the tip up, which is the only option for the ZT0450, but it's nice to have the option. It's also worth mentioning, that the 0450 comes in an unusually large size box for the knife size, whereas the Leek comes in a slender, much more ideal-sized box for the knife. Just a little bit of an oddity that I think could be improved upon by ZT. The blade itself came pretty sharp-- sharp enough to cut through paper, but not glide through the slice smoothly. Your mileage may vary on the sharpness of the blade, but mine wasn't incredibly sharp. Overall though, the ZT0450 is the winner as my EDC. It's a tougher pill to swallow since it's more than double the price (almost triple) of the Kershaw Leek, but to me it is worth it. As something that will be with me practically all day, every day, the material upgrade, the look of the knife, the feel, it's just worth the premium.

Though it's almost a little crazy to spend this much on a pocket knife (I realize they get far more expensive, but still - from an average person's perspective), the knife you'll get is pretty much perfect. The materials are high quality and it's assembled very well. With the knife I got anyway, fit and finish were flawless, and the blade came reasonably sharp out of the box. The handle is solid titanium on the lock bar side (with a protective steel insert where the lock bar meets the harder blade steel, which also functions as a lock bar overtravel stop) and a nice solid carbon fiber scale on the "presentation" side. The blade steel is S35VN, which in my experience of regular use seems to hold an edge pretty well (mind you, I only use my knife for normal things - I don't run around cutting down trees with it or anything). It's incredibly light, yet very solidly built, and if you're honest, a 3.25 inch blade is more than adequate for the vast majority of the tasks you you might expect to perform on a daily basis. The blade deploys reliably and smoothly with a well-designed flipper and ZT's bearing system. Maybe this is just my perception, but the detent seems less stiff than on the solid titanium version of this knife (also very nice, but I like this one better!), and the blade flies out with ease every time. I work in a warehouse, and it frequently gets used for things like cutting cardboard, twine, plastic wrap, tape, opening containers, etc. I have every reason to suppose that it will do its job well for a long time to come. For those who may be concerned, the black DLC coating is holding up extremely well so far. It's clearly far more than just paint. Ergonomically, it's well designed too. At least for my medium-sized hands, it fits well, and is comfortable to use, even when used moderately heavily. Though I was hesitant to spend so much money on what is essentially a luxury, this knife is honestly a great pleasure to handle and use, and I have no regrets. Utilitarian purpose aside, it also has great aesthetic appeal. The lime green stand-offs don't hurt. One final tip: if I had to come up with a fault with this knife, it might be the pocket clip. The clip it ships with functions perfectly well, but I personally prefer a deep carry clip. The clip on the ZT0560BW fits this knife perfectly, and matches the color as well. If you contact ZT and ask for a ZT0560BW clip, they'll send you one. I think it holds the knife in my pocket more securely, and also more discreetly. Overall an awesome knife. It would be unreasonable for me to expect something so nice for less money, but price is the only real downside to this knife.

I have been looking for a great EDC carry for a while. My criteria were; 1) decent steel. I know high performance steels are all in fashion, but any steel that takes a scary sharp edge and holds it for at least a little while is fine. 2) Reasonable blade length. 3 inches is about minimum but I’d be happy with 2 ½”. It shouldn’t be so long that it’s dangerous to use a tip grip for fine work and too long to pocket well. Length is less important to me than 3) width. I love the leaf shape of Spyderco knives. You can grip the blade and just expose the tip for nearly surgical work. But they are often so wide that they take up too much pocket space when clipped. But some are so narrow that they are dangerous to work with in that way. 4) easy open. I don’t care how it works. Flippers are OK. Spyderholes are OK. Assisted are OK. As long as they work well and allow one hand opening. 5) Folded size. The knife shouldn’t be too thick. I didn’t want a frame lock with exposed frame, but…. It must ride in the pocket well. You may have guessed, this knife has it all covered. It’s smaller than I expected, and when I opened the box I was disappointed and sure I was going to be sending it back. But it pockets very well. I find the phrase “disappears in the pocket” to be pure BS – nothing that clips to your pocket disappears. It’s always in the way to some extent. I have the Cold Steel Lucky 2 and *it’s* in the way. This is way bigger than that. But I have about 2 dozen knives on my dresser, This is the easiest one to get along with. I have zero problems with the working of the exposed lock bar. I don’t like the look of the non-show side with the exposed bar, but I guess that’s saving some frame thickness. The steel is excellent, and somewhat overkill for me. I do like the black coating. It remains to be seen how durable the coating is. The carbon fiber looks great and is light. The whole thing is light. The blade is just wide enough for a safe tip grip. As expected the flip mechanism is smooth and flawless. It opens one handed like it’s automatic. One hand close works OK, but I am not entirely happy with having my fingers in the way. I guess I’d prefer an axis lock. Ah, yes. The clip. The clip works. It leaves about 1/2 inch exposed. I am considering a deep carry clip, but really it should have *come* with a deep carry clip. Yeah, they are more expensive to make and I understand this knife is in a very competitive price tier. Ugh. I don't know. I do know I'm not a real fan of the clip. So aftermarket will have to do. So, the knife is near perfect. It’s not the big hunky knife I am used to from ZT, but that’s exactly what I was hoping for. Nice job on this one! If you are looking for a great everyday pocket knife that isn’t cheap hunk of mall junk, won’t break the bank and will be with you until the sun burns out (unless you lose it, anyway) this might be your knife.

I have had mine for a few days now. I should have never purchased a quality knife because once I handled quality, its hard to go back to $50 dollar knives. The knife is perfect in every way and is pretty much what I expected after reading reviews and watching videos. It has all the qualities I had on my "check list" of what I want in a well designed, quality EDC knife. Even though it is small and half the weight, the blade is as long as the blade on my ZT566, which by comparison, feels like a tank. I don't even notice it in my pocket, even when wearing sweat pants. My only frustration is that I absolutely cannot touch the lock bar when flipping or closing. If I don't touch the lock bar the action is wonderful. It flips like an assisted blade. But since it is a relatively small knife, I found it difficult to find a way to get a good grip for flipping while not touching the lock bar. For me, it took some practice to find the ideal placement of my fingers to have a good grip and not hinder deployment. That is why I did not give the knife 5 stars, which may not be fair because I should have expected that from a small frame lock that doesn't have a scale on the business side. Also, the pocket clip is sub-par, and not fitting for such an esthetic and high quality knife. I removed it within a hour of receiving the knife. I didn't like the way it felt and it was a distraction from the knife's good looks. Overall, I think it is a very nice knife. At this price point, it seems I am getting nearly all of the benefits of a knife that is two to three times more expensive.

Finally - a pocket knife that checks all my boxes: great blade steel that will hold a razor sharp edge, a compact package that will hold at least a 3" blade that won't take up unnecessary pocket real estate (this one is 3.25"), a flipper knife that you can both open and close one-handed easily, over-built to the point of being just about indestructible, and reversible pocket clip for my lefty needs. I've had a bunch of knives that have checked all but one of those boxes, but this one checks them all and then some. One that came close was the Kershaw Leek, but you can't reverse the pocket clip for left hand tip up carry, but I still like the Leek a lot. This model reminds me of my Leek in a lot of ways, especially size, but this one is better made, better steel, better action, better everything. (And for the price it better be!) One point of amusement for those who already own this model: look at the jimping near the pivot on the blade steel. I mean look at ALL the jimping. There is some that can never be reached by a finger. What's it for? I laughed when I noticed it. Think maybe somebody made a mistake in engineering, or did somebody decide it looked better, or did somebody at ZT decide to keep me entertained wondering? This is in no way a complaint, but more constructive input: with a knife this small and narrow, it's a bit difficult to stay out of the way of the frame lock while deploying the blade. It can certainly be done, but a lot of people, like me, are probably adjusting their technique a bit. If you don't stay out of the way of the frame lock, it applies pressure on the blade and makes it difficult or impossible to deploy. In this application, a liner lock instead of a frame lock may have been a better choice. If ZT ever experiments with that configuration, I'm likely to buy it, since the issue is more pronounced with lefties like me. But again, once I modified my grip on the knife a bit, I have absolutely no issue deploying it (but I haven't tried it with gloves on - I bet it's a different story there). This is a pretty spendy knife, compared to my usual knife purchases. After getting it, I see why it is totally worth the investment; the quality materials and workmanship really show you where the money went, and the knife is still a good value. I was worried about buying another ZT, since I recently ordered another ZT model I thought I'd like, but immediately hated it and returned it the same day. The 0450CF model has totally redeemed the company in my mind. I don't think I have ever owned a knife I liked as much as I like this one! The only real problem: owning the ZT 0450 makes me want to do something stupid like run out and get myself a ZT 0452, which is essentially the same thing, just bigger. SOMEBODY STOP ME I NEED PROFESSIONAL HELP!! 😎

I bought this after doing a lot of research, and can say that this is the best EDC I've ever owned. For comparison's sake, I also currently carry the Spyderco para 2. Spyderco ParaMilitary 2, G10 Handle,...

I have owned this knife for 2 months and it is far and away my favorite. I own several Spyderco's, several Benchmade's, Cold Steel, Kershaw, and this one is my favorite to carry. This is my first ZT and it won't be my last. Here is why I have such appreciation for this knife: Quality Materials - The knife handle is half carbon fiber and half titanium. These are two widely used materials in higher end knives these days and I love the contrast of including both on the handle. The blade steel is S35VN which I've not used before but I find it to have excellent edge retention and easy sharpening. The pocket clip offers good retention and I really love how easy it slides onto your pocket (probably because the clip is against the titanium). Workmanship - The design is one that I have more of an affinity for with the knife being so lightweight. The blade shape is great for EDC and you don't know you are carrying it. It is a very attractive knife to look at and just flip the knife open and closed like knife guys and gals do. The green anodized spacers are a real nice accent to the knife and surprised me how much I liked them. The blade is centered perfectly, no side to side movement, and the blade lockup is rock solid. It really is a joy to play with and use all while looking great. It is a true gentleman's folder. I really can't think of a single con as I wouldn't change a thing about it. Just go ahead and get it, you won't be sorry.